Children should be the main priority of local governance and municipalities,\u201d this was emphasized today at the conference for the advancement of children’s rights in Kosovo, organized by UNICEF in partnership with the European Union. The importance of inter-institutional cooperation and support for municipalities was also underlined, in order to ensure protection and quality services for children, especially those in need and from vulnerable categories, KosovaPress reports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At this event, Johannes Madsen from the European Union emphasized that the European Union will continue to stand by the children of Kosovo to build an equal society.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis project is not only meant to strengthen systems for child protection, but also to preserve the fundamental rights of every child regardless of ethnic background, ability, or circumstances. Children without parental care, children with disabilities, those at risk of violence, or in conflict with the law, are often left out. Through the partnership with UNICEF and cooperation with Kosovo institutions, including the Ministry of Justice, municipalities, and civil society here in Kosovo, we have worked together to change this. This initiative is to support reforms, to build capacities, and it has created mechanisms aimed at ensuring that children receive the protection and opportunities they deserve. We must admit that there is still much work ahead… The EU will continue to stand by the children of Kosovo to build an equal society,\u201d <\/em>he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Acting Deputy Minister of Justice, Vigan Qorrolli, called on municipalities to increase support for children, emphasizing the importance of social protection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSocial protection in the Republic of Kosovo, although it is a field where we as a society overall, and as state institutions in particular, must have a special focus, because this field is one of the key links that ensures the well-being of citizens in general and especially gives maximum care to children who are considered as a vulnerable category. The building of institutional capacities, and the provision of quality and inclusive social services for vulnerable children, such as children in street situations, children with disabilities, has been and continues to be an important focus of our Ministry of Justice, which through its institutional mechanisms… Even as a government, we have used all our human sensitivities so that Kosovo becomes a safe environment for them… In total, financial support for social and family services only in the last three years from the Ministry of Justice exceeds the value of 6 million euros… We have seen very little progress at the municipal level, and here we need to raise our voice more strongly so that municipalities increase not only financial help, but also commitment to shelters and people in need,\u201d <\/em>said Qorrolli.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Head of UNICEF in Kosovo, Veronika Vashchenko, expressed that children should be at the center of human development and the main priority of local and municipal governance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cChildren should be at the center of human development, they should be the main priority of local governance and municipalities. The Convention on the Rights of the Child, which was adopted or approved three decades ago, is not a distant promise, it was a legal commitment, it is a call to action. The Convention on the Rights of the Child is the commitment that every child deserves equal opportunities, every child should have the opportunity, and not be left behind. Today we are also challenging ourselves to move forward, to listen to children, they are leaders of today, not only of the future… It is our duty to listen to them. Children’s rights stand at a critical crossroads not only in Kosovo but around the world, children are navigating various wars, facing climate threats, then different forms of violence, and these are the spaces where they should feel safe. We must not only protect children, but empower them,\u201d<\/em> she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The European Union and UNICEF Kosovo today marked the conclusion of the joint three-and-a-half-year project \u201cProtection of Vulnerable Children in Kosovo,\u201d a 2.2 million euro investment implemented from January 2022 to June 2025. This strategic partnership has brought significant improvements in the protection, inclusion, and well-being of the most vulnerable children in Kosovo.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Children should be the main priority of local governance and municipalities,\u201d this was emphasized today at the conference for the advancement of children’s rights in Kosovo, organized by UNICEF in partnership with the European Union. The importance of inter-institutional cooperation and support for municipalities was also underlined, in order to ensure protection and quality services […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":74794,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[301,296],"tags":[648,312,5497,529],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kosovapress.com\/eng\/admin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74793"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kosovapress.com\/eng\/admin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kosovapress.com\/eng\/admin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kosovapress.com\/eng\/admin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kosovapress.com\/eng\/admin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=74793"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kosovapress.com\/eng\/admin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74793\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":74795,"href":"https:\/\/kosovapress.com\/eng\/admin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74793\/revisions\/74795"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kosovapress.com\/eng\/admin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/74794"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kosovapress.com\/eng\/admin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=74793"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kosovapress.com\/eng\/admin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=74793"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kosovapress.com\/eng\/admin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=74793"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}